Remember all those color psychology books that told you the color red symbolized power, strength and passion? Well have you ever wondered why so many stores use that color? Seriously how powerful do you think your hamburger is? Granted it has the right "stuff" when it comes to increasing your waistband but it's not going to be leaping any tall buildings or stopping bullets.
Well then why do so many businesses and restaraunts choose that color? It should be stated that you that you don’t’ have to have a red logo
to be successful; granted it may help in some instances. You see even though red is known
for its association with power and strength, in advertising it’s actually
used to indicate ease of use and quickness. (Now think what that says for why you haven't seen too many lipstick ads lately featuring bright red lips and nails...)
Anyway, if you remember in our last blog about the Americana cuisine group? Burger King,
McDonalds, Wendy’s, Carl’s Jr, Hardees, Jack in the Box and Bob’s Big Boy all
use red as the prominent color. Aside from making fast food (even though you
still have to wait in a line for it) they’re known for being quick. But let’s
take a look at Target. The red bull’s eye in their logo is distinctive as the
use of red in the Target name.
As big box retailers go, all Target stores are pretty much
laid out the same way no matter the location and you can easily go through them
and find what you want and get out fast (again after waiting in a line on
occasion). So using the color red works great if you’re providing a product or
service you want associated with quick and easy. Whether you are talking about
food or retailing. Taco Bell’s name is red in most cases now, In & Out
Burger’s name is red, CNN’s logo is sometimes read indicating fast news
reporting as it happens so you don’t have to bounce around to get all the news
from everywhere; Coca Cola’s name is red or the cans are red – quick easy
liquid refreshment that quenches your thirst fast.
But let’s say you want to show quick and easy but you also
want to show affordability? Well say hello to the combination colors usually
blue and red. Think Pepsi, the taste of the new generation. It’s still quick
and easy but its saying I’m affordable since I’m catering to the younger
generation just starting out. Walmart, yes it’s a big box retailer but it’s
offering low prices and rollbacks.
Kraft, fast easy and tasty products that is affordable on most budgets.
Do you want to show you care? Then look for blue or
variation of it. Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, Nokia, Gillette, Samsung, Visa
all use blue because it says “I care” and is a comforting color. If you want
fast and expedience then go for purple and orange, just like FedEx. Stability?
Grounded? Think brown like UPS. Girly girl? Go with pink.
You see using color is about what statement you are trying
to make and what emotions you want to evoke within your customers. It’s not
only about the graphic image itself.
Hallmark's memorable crown logo is one of the reasons that
Hallmark comes to mind so quickly when you need to buy a greeting card. It is
simple, bold, looks good in either color or black and white, and bespeaks the
quality required for something to be stamped with a hallmark, so it works well
with the company name.
But think about it Burger King also has a crown and so does
Imperial Butter. Now we’re talking using the same “logo” but in different
styles. Again, each crown represents, quality, superiority over a competitor
and implies an emotional attachment to being thoughtful for using this product
because of its impeccable and imperious quality.
Now, is a good time to bring up the little
matter of environmental conditioning. But that's another post.
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